Exa MCP Server

🚀 Example MCP Server 🔍

An MCP (Model Context Protocol) server enables AI assistants like Claude to perform web searches using the Exa AI Search API. This setup allows AI models to access real - time web information and operate in a secure and controlled environment.

Demo video: https://www.loom.com/share/ac676f29664e4c6cb33a2f0a63372038?sid=0e72619f-5bfc-415d-a705-63d326373f60

🚀 Quick Start

What is MCP? 🤔

The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is a system that allows AI applications (such as Claude Desktop) to connect to external tools and service data sources. It provides a clear and secure way for AI assistants to interact with local services and APIs while keeping users in control.

What does this server do? 🚀

The Exa MCP server:

• Enables AI assistants to perform web searches using Exa's powerful search API.
• Provides structured search results, including titles, URLs, and content snippets.
• Handles rate limits and error conditions smoothly.

Prerequisites 📋

Before you start, make sure you have:

• Node.js (v18 or higher) installed.
• Claude Desktop installed.
• An Exa API key.
• Git installed.

You can verify the installation of Node.js by running the following command:

node --version  # Should display v18.0.0 or higher

📦 Installation

1. Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/exa-labs/exa-mcp-server.git
cd exa-mcp-server

2. Install dependencies:

npm install --save axios dotenv

3. Build the project:

npm run build

4. Create a global link (this allows the server to be executed from any location):

npm link

Configuration ⚙️

1. Claude Desktop Configuration

Configure Claude Desktop to recognize the Exa MCP server: You can also find the claude_desktop_config.json file in the settings of Claude Desktop. Or

For macOS:

1. Open your Claude Desktop configuration:

code ~/Library/Application\ Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

For Windows:

1. Open your Claude Desktop configuration:

code %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

2. Add the Exa server configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "exa": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["/path/to/exa-mcp-server/build/index.js"],
      "env": {
        "EXA_API_KEY": "your-api-key-here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Replace your-api-key-here with your actual Exa API key.

2. Environment Variable Configuration

Set the following environment variables in the terminal or command prompt:

# For macOS or Linux
export EXA_API_KEY=your-api-key-here

# For Windows
set EXA_API_KEY=your-api-key-here

Replace your-api-key-here with your actual Exa API key.

💻 Usage Examples

Basic Usage

1. Start the server:

npm start

2. Access the console for help commands:

mcp-cli --help

3. Connect Claude Desktop to this MCP server. For more details, refer to the claude-mcp documentation.

Troubleshooting

If you encounter issues, refer to the MCP documentation.

📄 License

This section is not provided in the original document, so it is skipped.

Acknowledgments 🙏

• Exa AI (https://exa.ai) provides a powerful search API.
• The Model Context Protocol (https://modelcontextprotocol.io)